SteamOS Gaming - MalwareTester74/Linux-gaming-guide GitHub Wiki

🎮 Gaming on SteamOS: Setup Guide

SteamOS is a gaming-focused Linux distribution developed by Valve, designed to power the Steam Deck and gaming PCs. It is optimized for Steam Big Picture Mode, with Proton, Steam Play, and gaming drivers pre-installed.

✅ Optimized for gaming out of the box
✅ Best support for Steam games & Proton
✅ Seamless Steam Deck integration

⚠️ Important: SteamOS is designed primarily for Steam games, so running non-Steam games (Epic Games, GOG, Battle.net) requires additional setup with Lutris and Wine.

1️⃣ Installing SteamOS on a Gaming PC

Download & Install SteamOS

For Steam Deck: SteamOS comes pre-installed.

For PCs: SteamOS 3 (HoloISO) is not officially available yet, but you can install a community-built SteamOS version:

🔗 HoloISO (Unofficial SteamOS)

Follow installation instructions on the HoloISO page to set up SteamOS on a PC.

2️⃣ Optimizing Steam for Gaming on SteamOS

Enabling Steam Play (Proton) for Windows Games

  1. Open Steam → Settings
  2. Navigate to Steam Play
  3. Enable "Enable Steam Play for supported titles"
  4. (Optional) Enable "Enable Steam Play for all other titles"
  5. Select Proton Experimental or Proton-GE for better compatibility

To install Proton-GE (a community-enhanced Proton version):

flatpak install flathub net.davidotek.pupgui2

Launch ProtonUp-Qt, install Proton-GE, and select it in Steam Play settings.

3️⃣ Running Non-Steam Games (Epic Games, GOG, Battle.net)

SteamOS is Steam-focused, but you can install Lutris to run non-Steam games.

Installing Lutris on SteamOS

flatpak install flathub org.lutris.Lutris

Adding Epic Games, GOG, or Battle.net

  1. Open Lutris
  2. Click "Add Game" → Choose Installer
  3. Search for Epic Games Launcher, GOG Galaxy, or Battle.net
  4. Install & launch the game from Lutris

For Epic Games:

flatpak install flathub com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

Launch Heroic Games Launcher from the menu.

4️⃣ Running Windows Games with Wine & Proton

Step 1: Install Wine & Winetricks

flatpak install flathub org.winehq.Wine
flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles

Step 2: Install DXVK & Essential Libraries

winetricks corefonts vcrun2019 dxvk

Use Bottles for better game compatibility:

flatpak run com.usebottles.bottles

5️⃣ GPU Driver Setup for SteamOS

SteamOS automatically installs GPU drivers, but you can update them manually:

For NVIDIA Users

sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils nvidia-settings

Enable the driver:

sudo systemctl restart display-manager

For AMD Users

AMD drivers are included, but for latest Mesa drivers:

flatpak install flathub org.freedesktop.Platform.Vulkan.AMD

Check Vulkan support:

vulkaninfo | less

6️⃣ Optimizing Performance on SteamOS

1. Enable GameMode (Performance Booster)

SteamOS includes GameMode, which optimizes CPU and GPU performance during gaming. To manually enable:

gamemoderun %command%

Add this in Steam Launch Options under game properties:

gamemoderun %command%

2. Enable Fsync for Lower Input Lag

Add this to Launch Options:

PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 PROTON_NO_FSYNC=0 %command%

3. Overclocking Steam Deck (Advanced Users)

To adjust power settings, install PowerTools:

flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.SteamDeckPowerTools

Launch PowerTools and tweak power limits.

7️⃣ Additional Tools for Linux Gaming

MangoHud (FPS Overlay & Performance Monitor)

flatpak install flathub org.freedesktop.Platform.VulkanLayer.MangoHud

Run a game with MangoHud:

mangohud %command%

vkBasalt (Reshade-like Post-Processing for Vulkan Games)

Install:

flatpak install flathub org.freedesktop.Platform.VulkanLayer.vkBasalt

Enable it for Vulkan games:

VK_ICD_FILENAMES=/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/intel_icd.x86_64.json vkbasalt %command%

Final Thoughts: Is SteamOS Good for Gaming?

✅ Pros:
✔️ Optimized for gaming out of the box
✔️ Built-in Steam, Proton, and controller support
✔️ Seamless Steam Deck integration
✔️ Automatic driver updates for AMD/NVIDIA

❌ Cons:
❌ Limited outside Steam ecosystem (requires Lutris for non-Steam games)
❌ HoloISO (PC version) is unofficial
❌ No direct package management (restricted system)

🔥 SteamOS is the ultimate gaming Linux distro for Steam users, but requires extra setup for non-Steam gaming. 🎮